mcc
The thing about the "free as in beer vs free as in speech" analogy is that beer is literally an addictive substance so maybe you actually should be a little suspicious of anyone giving it away free
Jan 23, 2025 at 7:30pmTusky
Show threadmike sugarbakerJan 23, 2025
@mcc I've always thought that whoever coined this phrase probably thought of "beer" chiefly because it has a key element of WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Show threadcathosJan 23, 2025
@misuba @mcc yeah. because of that, I often struggle to remember what 'free as in beer' is supposed to mean. Because beer can make me feel free, even when I'm not.
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@cathos @misuba "Free as in water" just makes me think "the government should secure and distribute to all its citizens water free of charge because it has the capacity to do this and therefore it has a moral obligation to do this"
Show threadcathosJan 23, 2025
@mcc @misuba yeah. they really should!
Show threadJeff Miller (orange hatband)Jan 23, 2025
@misuba @mcc "One Froggy Evening" comes to mind, where "Free Beer" finally brings crowds to the theatre for the Singing Frog, or time-share vacation presentations over a nice restaurant dinner.
Show threadmike sugarbakerJan 23, 2025
@jmeowmeow @mcc One Froggy Evening was probably the exact reference that made this happen. Also it's probably the finest film I was shown repeatedly on TV as a child without commercial interruption
Show threadJeff Miller (orange hatband)Jan 23, 2025

@misuba You might check out Megan Lynch's album of Merrie Melodies tunes, "Songs the Brothers Warner Taught Me" if you want to hear the rest of "Hello Ma Baby" from One Froggy Evening.

@meganL (singer!)

Show threadcathosJan 23, 2025
@mcc I feel like 'free as in water' or 'free as in bread' works well, but it also has some different / more anarchist or communist connotations?
Show threadM. VerdoneJan 23, 2025
@mcc free as in lunch. There's no such thing as.
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@sixohsix but food literally grows on trees
Show threadallisonJan 23, 2025
@mcc "free as in the first one"
Show threadMatthew MillerJan 23, 2025

@aparrish @mcc

I've always liked "free, like a free puppy"

Show thread0xC0DEC0DE07EAJan 23, 2025
@mattdm also, "free as in [used] mattress"
You can have it, but I'm not sure why you would want it and whatever happens is on you.
@aparrish @mcc
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@mattdm @aparrish yes
Show threadFoolishOwlJan 23, 2025

@mcc @mattdm @aparrish I'm reminded of a bit in Teamster Rebellion, by Farrell Dobbs, an account of the Minneapolis General Strike, where the company tried to smooth things over with a "beer bust", i.e., free beer, and the union organizers managed to turn it into labor agitation.

Anyway, the "beer bust" seems like the familiar pizza party, only less infantilizing but more manipulative overall.

Show threadpoetasterJan 23, 2025
@mcc my speech becomes more free than I care for in direct proportion to the amount of free beer. My spelling improves, though.
Show threadDr Zoyander StreetJan 23, 2025
@mcc I wonder if there's scope for something that evokes potlucks (expectation that at least some users will contribute resources to the shared good, but it's not policed) or food banks (users are not charged, costs are borne through volunteering and grants). That being said, "free as in gratis" is also serviceable.
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025

@zoy that's good. None of these are quite appropriate to your prompt but an old file of mine contains these attempts:

"Free as in jazz"
"Free as in range"
"Free as in electron"
"Free as in Leonard'

Show threadnickJan 23, 2025
@mcc @zoy "Free as in kitten"
"Free as in zucchini"
"Free as in nothing left to lose"
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@nickzoic @zoy is a free zucchini different from any other type of food
Show threadnickJan 23, 2025

@mcc @zoy They fruit all in a rush in summer and if you don't pick them as soon as they're ready they keep growing but they're not as nice. So you end up with a giant pile of them to eat, preserve or give away to friends and neighbours or passers-by.

So there's a couple of weeks there where you ask people "would you like some zucchini" and they're like "hell no but would you like some zucchini recipes?".

Show threadZimmieJan 23, 2025
@zoy @mcc There’s always the simple “free of charge”. It doesn’t have to be “as in” anything, does it?
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@bob_zim @zoy i think at the moment we are trying to find a framing which is not merely adequate but actively communicates something powerful, and we don't need a reason to do this beyond love of language
Show threadZimmieJan 23, 2025
@mcc @zoy I personally think “free of” is a better construction anyway. Free of charge, versus free of constraint.
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@bob_zim @zoy TBH that's some good language
Show threadDr Zoyander StreetJan 24, 2025
@bob_zim @mcc this is pretty elegant yeah
Show threadHeathen 🐈Jan 23, 2025
@mcc
Free as in advice (and thus perhaps useless)
Show threadspvJan 23, 2025
@mcc i wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional, or at least thought of and ignored, seeing how folks like rms compare proprietary software to crack
Show threadmccJan 23, 2025
@spv If this was the argument I don't disagree with it
Show threadspvJan 23, 2025
@mcc i'm really gonna come across like a weasel if i mention now that i don't disagree with it either, but didn't mention that in the original reply just in case, aren't i? c'est la vie
Show threaddixegoJan 23, 2025
@mcc free as in Willy
Show threadIrenes (many)Jan 23, 2025
@mcc good point, that